MOVIE OF THE WEEK (10/20/17): THE SNOWMAN
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| "Come out, come out – I've got a Snickers waiting for you if you'll just let me shoot you!" Investigator Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) looks to make an emphatic point with a bullet in a scene from director Thomas Alfredson's take on the Jo Nesbø best-selling book THE SNOWMAN. Credit: Jack English © 2017 Universal Pictures |
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jonas Karlsson, Chloë Sevigny, Michael Yates, David Dencik with Val Kilmer and J.K. Simmons
DIRECTOR(S): Thomas Alfredson
WEB SITE: http://www.thesnowmanmovie.com/
HERE'S THE STORY: Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) is a detective in the Oslo/Bergen area of Norway. He has an ex, Rakel (Charlotte Gainsbourg), he still cares for just like he does her son Oleg (Michael Yates) ... But their interests are currently being taken care of by Matthias (Jonas Karlsson), a doctor who is much more level-headed – and sober – than Harry has been in years.
Harry finds his attention diverted, though, once he receives a letter from a man who basically lets him know he should be expecting to hear from him soon. And further complicating affairs is the arrival of Katrine (Rebecca Ferguson), a fresh-out-the-academy-type of detective that is as equally smart – and headstrong – as Harry is.
But once the duo gets a call to investigate a missing woman's report that seems eerily similar to some others that harken back to the note Harry received, the plot thickens in a way he could have never seen coming.
HERE'S THE STORY: Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) is a detective in the Oslo/Bergen area of Norway. He has an ex, Rakel (Charlotte Gainsbourg), he still cares for just like he does her son Oleg (Michael Yates) ... But their interests are currently being taken care of by Matthias (Jonas Karlsson), a doctor who is much more level-headed – and sober – than Harry has been in years.
Harry finds his attention diverted, though, once he receives a letter from a man who basically lets him know he should be expecting to hear from him soon. And further complicating affairs is the arrival of Katrine (Rebecca Ferguson), a fresh-out-the-academy-type of detective that is as equally smart – and headstrong – as Harry is.
But once the duo gets a call to investigate a missing woman's report that seems eerily similar to some others that harken back to the note Harry received, the plot thickens in a way he could have never seen coming.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who will appreciate the film's intentions and setting; those who like snow and nature photography; those who still enjoy the average episode of Law & Order
WHO WON'T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Val Kilmer fans; J.K. Simmons fans; people who have read the original source material in Nesbø's books; those who figure out who the killer based on 1-2 scenes
SO IS IT GOOD, BAD OR JUST AWFUL? First, let me say this: I am not among the people who absolutely hated The Snowman. I didn't. I mean, it was at the very least interesting in terms of a concept: Serial killer strikes when it snows, leaves small snowman at the scene of each crime. Fassbender does ... Well ... Something even if there apparently isn't much to his detective and the surrounding characters are fairly, well, feel like cardboard cutouts of characters more than they do actual people.
But, when the director of the film basically tries to explain from his own point of view WHY THE FILM DOESN'T EXACTLY CLICK, it's kind of hard to give it too many kudos.
As mentioned above, Fassbender does something as detective Harry Hole; it's just hard to pin down exactly what it is about him that is supposed to be interesting other than the fact that he passes out. A lot. After drinking. But we are given little inside into his life other than the fact he used to date Rakel, cares for her son Oleg as if he's his own ... And is reluctant to listen to any theory that isn't his own. Likewise, Ferguson's character is instantly hostile to Fassbender's from the start, making their relationship interesting only from a "let's see how they antagonize each other way" and not in a "maybe this will turn romantic" way.
Likewise, it's very hard to not see Val Kilmer – who plays a detective that pursued the Snowman before Harry – in his current state on film and not feel a little melancholy; he was Batman and Doc Holliday, dammit! Then again, since his performance channels even less energy/emotion than that of Fassbender, he's right at home in The Snowman in a film in desire need of a dynamic character, hero or villain. Ferguson tries to provide some spunk as the headstrong Katrine, but her character's misguided actions make it nearly impossible to take her seriously once she ventures into "why would you do that?!" territory.
Throw in some poorly placed red herrings, some outlandish moments that just don't fit and a killer that once revealed meets one of the most anti-climatic apexes of all time and you're left with a film that, despite all its potential, seems a bit frozen in place by its own uncertainty of what to do next or how. And the less said about the waste of Simmons, the better ... Trust me, it's not good.
Which is a shame – because The Snowman doesn't quite suck, but it definitely isn't great, it's just there ... Just like old, melting snow.
SO IS IT GOOD, BAD OR JUST AWFUL? First, let me say this: I am not among the people who absolutely hated The Snowman. I didn't. I mean, it was at the very least interesting in terms of a concept: Serial killer strikes when it snows, leaves small snowman at the scene of each crime. Fassbender does ... Well ... Something even if there apparently isn't much to his detective and the surrounding characters are fairly, well, feel like cardboard cutouts of characters more than they do actual people.
But, when the director of the film basically tries to explain from his own point of view WHY THE FILM DOESN'T EXACTLY CLICK, it's kind of hard to give it too many kudos.
As mentioned above, Fassbender does something as detective Harry Hole; it's just hard to pin down exactly what it is about him that is supposed to be interesting other than the fact that he passes out. A lot. After drinking. But we are given little inside into his life other than the fact he used to date Rakel, cares for her son Oleg as if he's his own ... And is reluctant to listen to any theory that isn't his own. Likewise, Ferguson's character is instantly hostile to Fassbender's from the start, making their relationship interesting only from a "let's see how they antagonize each other way" and not in a "maybe this will turn romantic" way.
Likewise, it's very hard to not see Val Kilmer – who plays a detective that pursued the Snowman before Harry – in his current state on film and not feel a little melancholy; he was Batman and Doc Holliday, dammit! Then again, since his performance channels even less energy/emotion than that of Fassbender, he's right at home in The Snowman in a film in desire need of a dynamic character, hero or villain. Ferguson tries to provide some spunk as the headstrong Katrine, but her character's misguided actions make it nearly impossible to take her seriously once she ventures into "why would you do that?!" territory.
Throw in some poorly placed red herrings, some outlandish moments that just don't fit and a killer that once revealed meets one of the most anti-climatic apexes of all time and you're left with a film that, despite all its potential, seems a bit frozen in place by its own uncertainty of what to do next or how. And the less said about the waste of Simmons, the better ... Trust me, it's not good.
Which is a shame – because The Snowman doesn't quite suck, but it definitely isn't great, it's just there ... Just like old, melting snow.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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